WALTHAM — During Tuesday’s media day for the Celtics, new point guard Keyon Dooling joked about his Jan. 2006 fight with new teammate Ray Allen when Allen – then with Seattle – elbowed Dooling – then with the Magic – and a bench-clearing brawl ensued.

After both were ejected, Dooling took off down the hallway and tried to confront Allen outside the Sonics locker room but was restrained.

“The Sonics? Is that even a team anymore? Oh, that’s ancient history,” Dooling joked. “At the end of the day, when Ray and I saw each other the next time after the fight, we had a conversation and we embraced each other. At the end of the day, it was the heat of battle. I have a lot more respect for him. I know he has a lot more respect for me. Sometimes you know a man better when you fight.

“He’s been nothing but a phenomenal influence since I’ve been here. I’ve had a chance to spend some time with him over the summer, with some of the union business. I’m just looking forward to being here and being a part of the organization.”

Other nuggets from Dooling included his feelings about backing up Rajon Rondo at point guard.

“Pushing me, I don’t need much of a push,” Dooling said. “I’m pretty self-motivated. I think I can learn some of the tricks. He’s a guy who averages a lot of assists and so I can pick up little techniques from him and maybe he can pick up some things from me as well. We’ll just try to make each other better every day.”

Dooling said he is looking forward to becoming a key part of the Celtics bench.

“I came in focused,” he said. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me so I don’t have any time to waste. I want to pick up the system as quick as I can, offensively and defensively, so I won’t be a liability when I’m on the court. If I’m a liability on the court, not only do I hurt my team, I hurt my family, so I’ve got to be ready to play.

“My experience has made me who I am. I’ve had some hardships in this league. I’ve always been able to persevere and work my way through adversity. This is another chance for me to come out and prove to the world I can play basketball. I think still a lot people don’t really know me unless you’re a true NBA fan. So, I think it’ll be a unique chance for me to prove myself to the world.”

When Brandon Bass is your biggest offseason acquisition, would you consider that a success? The Celtics needed to get a lot better, and without knowing who the 15th man on the roster will be it’s hard to say they did.

Here’s your 2011-12 Celtics roster, with 14 of the 15 available roster spots all but filled.

*Pavlovic is expected to re-sign for one year at the veteran minimum, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
**Johnson has yet to reach a deal, but the rookie pay scale suggests he’ll get just under $1 million.
***Terms of Moore’s guaranteed deal have not been disclosed, so I’m slotting him at the rookie minimum.

Did the Celtics improve themselves at any position from the team that lost the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games to an improved Heat squad? Let’s attempt to answer that question. Read the rest of this entry »

WALTHAM — Celtics coach Doc Rivers has long been an admirer of veteran guard Keyon Dooling. So much so that Rivers tried on three occasions to get Dooling to join his teams. He finally got his man after Danny Ainge traded a second round pick to Milwaukee to acquire him via a trade exception created in the Marquis Daniels deal to Sacramento last season.

“It’s a good pickup for us,” Rivers said. “He’s a veteran guard. He can play one or two, he can shoot, he can really defend. He’s high character, which is an area we were looking for and he’s a good fit for this group. He’s hungry. He wants to win. Those are the players we wanted. We wanted players who are over themselves and who are hungry and want to play with a sense of urgency.”

It’s safe to say the feeling is mutual.

“I’ve had an opportunity to play before a few good coaches in my career,” Dooling said after his practice with the team on Saturday. “Stan Van Gundy [and] Lawrence Frank have been very influential in my career, my progress as a player and a person. Doc has been somebody who’s been a great mentor to me. I always pick his brain every time I see him because I’m fascinated by him. He’s awesome. He’s everything that a player like me would want to be.”

The Celtics will be Dooling’s sixth team in an 11-year career that began in Los Angeles with the Clippers and took him to Miami, Orlando, New Jersey and Milwaukee and he’s excited about the chance to play for a contender.

“It’s something I’ve never experienced before,” he said. “Going into the season having an opportunity to play for a ‘chip every year. I haven’t really had a legitimate chance to win the ‘chip sing I played with Shaq back in Miami, so I’m licking my chops, man.”

Dooling is expected to primarily backup Rajon Rondo at the point and at 6-foot-3, he’s capable of defending both backcourt positions in the right matchup. He’s also a solid 3-point shooter. As Dooling said, “They used to use the word, ‘tweener.’ As my career progressed and I earned some respect around the league I became a combo guard.”

That’s basically what he is and he’ll essentially fill the role that Delonte West played last season. But Dooling brings an extra benefit to the table because with him on board, the Celtics no longer feel that they force Avery Bradley into a point guard role. “Keyon has created us two players because Avery is better this way,” Rivers said.

From the moment Bradley was drafted it was unclear whether he would develop into a point guard. He had limited experience in his one collegiate season at Texas at the position and he never really had a chance as a rookie after an ankle injury kept him out of summer league and part of training camp. In limited minutes he clearly struggled running the team.

“You watched Avery last year and I thought he was paralyzed when he had to run the position, when he had to call plays,” Rivers said. “I thought he was really good when he was just playing. So that told me let’s make him that and stop trying to make him a point.”

The Celtics love his defensive ability and see the potential for him to fill a similar role to the one Tony Allen played so well during the run to the NBA finals in 2010. Bradley doesn’t have the size to guard forwards like Allen does, but he can be a fullcourt on-the-ball defender and also cover off-guards.

“What we want him to do is get on the floor,” Rivers said. “He has to earn that, but defensively he can really help us. I feel like he has to play all year so when the playoffs start he’ll be able to guard guys.”

Please indulge me, whilst a tell you an NBA conspiracy theory. It involves a Mormon, a camel, two giants and an insurance salesman. None of them walked into a bar.

On July 31, 2007, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge convinced former C’s teammate, good friend and Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale to ship Kevin Garnett to Boston in return for Al Jefferson and a cup of poop soup over a deal with the Lakers involving Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. And the road to a 17th NBA championship was paved.

On Feb. 1, 2008, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak dangled the immortal Kwame Brown and his 5.7 points/5.7 rebounds per game as the centerpiece of a trade for Grizzlies All-Star Pau Gasol and his 18.9 points/8.8 rebounds per game. And former C’s general manager Chris Wallace delivered the 2009 and 2010 NBA titles to L.A.